Women’s basketball team falls in first round of Big Sky Tournament

The State Hornet


Sacramento State freshman guard Tiara Scott drives past Kristen Kramer of Northern Colorado at the Nest on March 3. (Photo by Matthew Dyer)
The only thing that separated the ninth-seeded Sacramento State women’s basketball team from a matchup with No. 1 seed Montana State was 2.9 seconds Monday in Reno, Nevada.
In only a couple of seconds, Weber State’s Deeshyra Thomas made a running jumper to defeat Sac State 98-97 in overtime to lead the eighth-seeded Wildcats (13-17) to the second round of the Big Sky Tournament.
Sac State coach Bunky Harkleroad, who failed to make the second round of the Big Sky Tournament for the first time in his four seasons at the helm, attributed the result to a season-long theme of not being able to close out games. The Hornets (10-20) lost despite leading in the game for 36 and a half minutes.
“Our team played hard, but we just couldn’t finish,” Harkleroad said. “Weber State’s go-to players stepped up and made shots when it mattered. The one thing we’ve been fighting all year — we’ve had a hard time helping ourselves consistently.”
The first quarter started off with a Sac State free throw from senior Gretchen Harrigan and two quick 3-pointers from junior guard Maranne Johnson and senior Emily Easom for a 7-0 lead within the first minute of the game. By the end of the first quarter, Sac State held a 26-14 advantage over Weber State.
Sacramento State junior guard Maranne Johnson drives past Montana State at the Nest on Feb. 18. (Photo by Matthew Dyer)The Wildcats pounced in the second quarter after Kailie Quinn made three 3-pointers in the quarter, and Weber State outscored the Hornets 26-14 in the quarter, even taking the lead for a brief moment before Sac State recovered to finish the first half 42-40.
Within the first minute of the ...

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